Ori.Union

Juxtaposed against the backdrop of a Shanghai landmark, the Ori.Union pop-up exists at a critical juncture in the history of Zhangyuan 77. Previously occupied by the government and left to languish, plans have been set forth to revitalise Zhangyuan 77 as an entertainment and cultural hub, just as it was at the turn of the century. This concept store from Ori Bazaar serves as a sneak peak of what’s to come in this traditional shikumen-style building.

As the largest freestanding building remaining in the Zhangyuan heritage area, Zhangyuan 77’s structure is impressive. At three-stories high, it’s a symmetrical copper-domed building flanked by thin, long open hallways on either sides. Its most distinctive feature though, is perhaps the expansive white front facade, which no other building in Zhangyuan has.

After seeing too many markets that they considered as thoughtless, not commercial enough, or simply “not as we imagined,” Gabriel and Shan of Ori.Union took the initiative this year to redefine what a bazaar should be. This eventually led them to experiment with the longer duration, more conceptually demanding pop-up store.

Following the idea of experimentation, Ori.Union was constructed around the theme of “lab.” The entire store is decked out in futuristic silver foil and neon signs, which when combined with the old existing woodwork and peeling paint, form a high-contrast, eye-catching space that is ambiguous in time.

After the pop-up ends, Zhangyuan 77 will be closed for renovations. Apart from the front salons housing temporary stores, the rest of the building is already unoccupied. A forbidden visit inside yields eerie, dusty spaces and deteriorating office furniture that whispers of the space’s previous tenants. Quiet and sleepy, Zhangyuan 77 awaits patiently for its reincarnation back to glory.